Loose Ends
by 4810
Summary: After the sudden disappearances of two tournament participants, Johan's participation in the Kaiba Corp. Northwestern European Championship becomes about much more than just winning. While trying to unravel the mystery, he runs into a familiar figure from his high school years. But will Judai's presence make the situation easier on Johan, or just serve to complicate it further?
1. Prologue

The child clutched her Petit Angel card to her chest like a mother might cradle a child. She held her palm flat, so not to bend it, while her other hand wiped her eyes, smearing tears across her cheeks.

"It's okay now." The young man knelt before her and held out a crisp blue handkerchief. She stared, not moving to take it, so he waved it in her direction. "Here. Keep it."

She stared a moment longer, but finally took it and rubbed it against her face. It felt soft against her skin, and the touch almost comforting. "Thank you, sir."

The man's lips curled at the edges. He had a kind smile – in fact, his entire presence had a kind aura and just being around him made her feel more at ease.

"You… are going to be a great duelist," he told her, returning her deck.

She took it with a murmur of thanks, tiny fingers closing around the stack of cards that she cared for as though they were members of her family. The weight of it in her hand was relieving, but she couldn't help staring at the ground.

"I lost, though…" She couldn't meet his eyes, embarrassed now. "I lost really bad. If you hadn't come along and saved me, that awful man would have taken my deck, and… and he…"

_'I don't need a deck like this. It belongs on the trash heap. I'll do you a favor and dispose of this garbage.'_

She hiccupped, fresh tears burning the back of her eyes, threatening to spill over again. She fought against them with all her might. The young man took her by her shoulders, giving them an encouraging squeeze.

"One day, you'll be a greater duelist than he could ever hope to be," he assured her, green eyes flashing with confidence. "You treasure your cards. Your bond with them is strong. I can tell from the guardian angel watching over you."

He reached out and gently placed a single finger against the card held to her chest.

The girl's head shot up. "Petit Angel?"

His smile widened, and there was a shine to his eyes that told her he wasn't joking. "Maybe you can't see it now, but the spirit of this card returns your love for it. All the care you put into your deck… it will respond to that. So never give up." He stood and stretched. "I have to go now, but I'm sure we'll meet again someday. And when that time comes, you're going to be a strong opponent."

He shot her one last wink, then turned and began to walk away. She stared after him. "Wait! Can I ask you your name?"

The young man replied without turning around. "Johan. Johan Andersen."

The girl watched him until he was out of sight, holding on tight to the fairy deck safely back in her hands. "Thank you..." She said to the empty air. "Thank you, mister Johan."

* * *

The parks of London were awash with a flood of fallen, bright leaves. Tall, dark trees with spindly, almost-bare branches rose up from them, reaching toward the stone-grey sky. People huddled under thick coats, many sporting scarves and gloves. They hurried along the streets, disappearing into the warmth of brightly lit cafes and muttering about how cold it was this year.

Johan agreed – though having just come from Norway where the temperature was almost a whole ten degrees lower, he privately thought that Londoners hardly had the right to complain about the weather in their part of the world. During his days at North Academy in the arctic, Johan had experienced temperatures many degrees below freezing and this was nothing in comparison.

Still, that had been a long time ago. How many years had it been since he'd graduated? He did a quick count on his fingers.

Five now. Half a decade.

Just over five years since that early autumn graduation in the heavily heated seminar room when Johan – as the 3rd grade representative – had given a speech in front of his whole school, the whole time feeling as though his own graduation had already taken place – at a different school, in a different part of the world.

As he circled the park and began to make tracks back to his hotel, brittle leaves crunching underfoot, his memories of Duel Academia inevitably lead to memories of Judai. It felt like so long since they'd last seen one another; must have been over 4 years now. The last time Judai had visited him was to make sure his Rainbow Dragon had returned safely after he'd lost it mid-duel to a mysterious masked man named "Paradox". Since then, he'd seen neither head nor tail of Judai. Not that it bothered him, even four years down the track with no contact; he knew – he could _feel_ – that he would see Judai again. Johan wasn't one to believe in fate, but there was something that linked the two of them, and whatever it was still held strong.

That didn't mean, though, that there weren't times when Johan didn't wonder where Judai was. Or that he didn't miss him. Johan imagined that he travelled wherever the wind blew, using those great powers that he'd barely begun to tap all those years ago to make a difference in the world. The same way Johan so wanted to.

He was still doing his best to make his dreams come true – a dream of a world in which everyone could be as close to their duel spirits as Johan was to his. But as he'd grown up over the years since graduation, he had come to realize that it was a pipe dream. A world in which everyone could see their spirits, sharing love for each other the same as he did for his family, just seemed far-fetched. He hadn't given up, of course. But he had resigned himself to working on a smaller, one-to-one basis. There was no chance of reaching everyone, so he would just have to make do with reaching those he could.

Somewhere in the distance, Big Ben chimed 5 o'clock, and Johan looked up at the rapidly darkening sky. It was definitely time to cut his walk short. He needed to be well-rested for the first match of the championship tomorrow.

The hotel where the participants were residing for the duration of the tournament had an unnecessarily ornate exterior and an even more unnecessarily plush interior. It was fancy to the point that it was almost crippling; the whole atmosphere made relaxing in your room impossible, for fear that if you even looked in the wrong direction, you'd get something dirty. Johan had never been one for luxury or grandeur, but even he couldn't help but admire it.

He was careful, however, not to think about how much it might cost, lest he feel guilty, since it was all free of charge – being the favorite to win the Northwestern European Championship certainly came with its perks.

Not, of course, that that was why he was participating; participation in tournaments, from humble to grand, were part of how Johan had been fulfilling what he viewed as his life's duty since graduating from North Academy; after all, what better place to find duelists and spirits who needed his help than at a duel tournament?

The NWEC, however, held a lot more intrigue for him than the average championships he'd been entering over the last 5 years.

.

At first, the strange happenings after the UK Grand Championship matches had been put down to regular foul play and Johan had thought little of them; no more than his usual shake of the head and murmurs of displeasure whenever he caught wind of someone failing to honor the rules of Duel Monsters anyway.

The whole thing had begun with the mysterious disappearance of the UK championship, not more than a night after his first duel. Rumors had flooded the duelsphere and, naturally, most of the fingers pointed towards other remaining participants, accusing them of trying to gain an advantage in the tournament. Others thought it was the duelist who'd been defeated that round, out for revenge. Some blamed the more die-hard fans, trying to set the stage for their favorite to win.

But it was when, amidst the fan outrage and missing person investigations, the second place favorite disappeared in an identical manner that things really began to catch Johan's interest.

While the rest of the world focused on the fact that the two of them had been the top two contenders in the UKGC, Johan immediately zoned in on the only other thing linking the two duelists – they were both rumored to be able to speak to their cards.

Out of habit, Johan let his fingers brush against his deck holster in his pocket as he stepped into the elevator. If the rumors were true and his hunch that those duelists had been targeted because of their ability to talk to spirits was correct, then once the NWEC stared – a tournament which the UKGC directly led into – he would also be in danger.

He punched the button for the 22nd floor, stepping aside to let other occupants in and stared idly at his reflection in the mirrored surface of the walls.

He certainly wasn't saying that out of self-importance; while the UK duelists who had disappeared were known for being hush-hush about their ability (there was a reason it was only 'rumored' that they talked to their cards) Johan had never felt the need to hide it. And while he had never had the desire to enter the pro-leagues, as the owner of the one and only Gem Beast deck, he was by no means unknown as a duelist.

The elevator came to a halt and he stepped out, fishing about in his pocket for the room key. Once inside, he toed off his shoes, digging his feet into the thick carpet, and sighed.

"The bond I have with you guys is no secret," he spoke aloud, and immediately the forms of Amethyst Cat and Ruby Carbuncle emerged beside him. "Everyone knows I refer to my cards as my family, so if the culprit is aiming for people like me, then I've made myself a prime target."

"We won't let anything happen to you," Amethyst Cat told him fiercely, and Ruby agreed with a much more mild-mannered trill.

Johan plunked himself down on the edge of his freshly made bed and offered a vague smile. "I know. Honestly, I'm hoping they _will _come after me. The quickest way to solve the mystery is by getting in the line of fire, right? So ultimately, that's my goal."

"Don't do anything foolish," Amethyst Cat cautioned him, her tone the same as that of a worried mother.

"I won't be able to let my guard down, that's for sure," Johan replied vaguely, knowing he couldn't make any promises – what he was planning to do already classified as foolish. "I'll just have to make sure I'm careful and overlook nothing."

"Rubibi…" Ruby clambered up his leg and perched on his knee, red eyes wide and worried. Johan petted her on the head, scratching behind her ears.

"I know. But unless I stop the culprit now, chances are they'll come after me one day anyway. At least this way I'm prepared for something."

He lay back on the bed, sinking into the fluffy duvet, and stared up at the ceiling. There was still a chance that his theory was completely off, and that the disappearances had nothing to do with duel spirits, but Johan had always had pretty decent intuition. And the strange vibes he was getting from this mystery – this whole championship – told him that there was much more to this than someone simply trying to get a leg-up in the tournament.

Something sinister was going on. And he was going to find out what.


	2. Turn 1

As expected from a tournament held by a branch of Kaiba Corp., the opening ceremony was outlandishly over-the-top. There was no shortage of helicopters and explosions and big, flashy holographic shows. However, though Johan was usually one to appreciate a festive atmosphere, there were far more important things on his mind.

The matches for the first heat had been announced to the participants in advance, so Johan already knew that he was up against the Belgian representative. He was aware that the boy used a pyro-themed deck, but other than that, he'd done no research on him. Although any good duelist had a few extra tricks up their sleeve, analyzing his opponent's fighting style and deck before a match seemed unappealing to Johan. He preferred to be surprised, kept on his toes, and so he was going into his match with Michiel Nicolet with very little prior knowledge of his tactics.

Johan and Nicolet were scheduled to take part in the 3rd round of matches, which meant he could watch the first two rounds. Usually he wouldn't be interested in anything other than appreciating the superior tactics and quick thinking that came with competitors in such a high level tournament, but he had other things he needed to keep an eye out for today.

He knew, as any duelist worth their salt did, that a duel connected two hearts; if you really cared to, you could learn all sorts of things about your opponent in battle, but Johan didn't have the opportunity to do that with everyone in the tournament. However, just because you weren't dueling someone didn't mean that you couldn't learn about them from _watching_ their duel. And Johan planned on doing just that.

If any of the participants were responsible for the recent disappearances, at the top of the list of suspects was the current UK champion who had come under a lot of fire since the events in the UKGC. Johan had watched him win in the finals on television, and from the way he'd played, he hardly seemed the kind of person who would target another duelist and cause them to vanish from the face of the earth. Still, nothing beat seeing a live duel, and Johan was itching to bear witness to it today. In all honesty, he doubted that the culprit was a contestant at all, but it never hurt to check.

The UK participant, Ethan Murray, a Scottish native who played a winged-beast deck, had been pit against the Lithuanian finalist, Kamilė Lavrinovič, a young woman who favored reptile cards. It rapidly became apparent that the spectators' opinions of Murray swung fiercely either one way or the other; given that they were holding the tournament in London, a large number of the audience members were UK natives, and they were all behind the duelist representing them. The remaining majority of the crowd was dead set against his victory, booing and heckling him and accusing him of cheating. Johan was impressed that he stood strong in the face of it, shoulders squared and jaw set. It was clear that it bothered him, but he was doing his best not to let it show.

The match started, and in no time at all Johan was convinced that this man couldn't be a criminal by any means. Sapphire Pegasus, who had been settled in the stairwell of the stands alongside him, seemed to agree.

"He doesn't duel like a cheater," the winged horse commented, and Johan nodded, murmuring his answer so as not to startle the spectators around him.

"He doesn't duel like someone who would hurt anybody either. He treats his cards with too much care."

Murray clearly preferred equip spells and effects to boost his monsters' attack rather than sending them to the graveyard for an advanced summon, and Johan also noted that he used a lot of methods to prevent his monsters from being sent to the graveyard or to call them back from it. He cared for his monsters deeply, and it rang loud and clear.

"I don't think he's the man you're searching for," Sapphire Pegasus said.

"I don't think any of the participants are. They were all involved in their own national tournaments when the incidents occurred. We won't find the culprit amongst them." Johan looked out over the sea of spectators in the stadium, wondering if the person he was looking for was there somewhere instead. But even if they were, it would take a long time to narrow it down. "I guess I really will have to wait for them to come to me."

Sapphire Pegasus was silent about that, but they all knew that other options were limited. All he could do now was make sure he wasn't easy prey when the wolf came knocking. And if Johan recalled correctly, the two missing duelists had disappeared not long after their first duels of the tournament, so as soon as his match was over, he would need to start watching his back.

He observed the rest of the duel slightly absentmindedly. Usually when it came to duels, Johan paid great attention, enjoying the way two players' strategies unraveled and stood up against one another, but his mind was elsewhere today. Murray, who had been losing ground in the latter part of the duel, managed to turn the tables against Lavrinovič at the last minute and come in behind with a reverse victory.

"Well, I'd better go and finish preparing for my match," Johan murmured, getting up and exiting the stands as cheers mixed with cries of "cheater," and "fraud,". He didn't want to stay around and watch that. Johan could tell, probably better than anyone else here, that Murray had won because his cards had answered to the faith and care he'd shown them. But he knew that right now, his opinion alone wasn't going to clear the suspicion; only successfully exposing the real guilty party would do that.

He joined the other participants in the lounge room, most bestowing him with little more than grunts of acknowledgement before directing their full attention back to their decks. Johan took a seat on an empty couch, and fished his deck out of its holder. He'd gone over it plenty of times before today, but it never hurt to give it another look.

The results of the first round of matches were announced – the Lithuanian, French and Swedish representatives had lost, with the UK, Austrian and Finnish reps remaining. With 20 minutes to go until the second round began, you could see the tension building in the next wave of participants. It wasn't long before they left to go on standby, and only Johan and the rest of the third round duelists remained in the room.

The others gave him as wide a berth as possible in the limited space: it was something he'd often noticed during tournaments – the more revered you were as a player, the less likely it was that anyone would come near you. He wasn't sure what they were frightened of, but for once he was glad for the space. It was difficult enough to build a deck in the first place, and the amount he had weighing on his mind only made it more difficult to concentrate.

"You don't need to worry so much," Amethyst Cat appeared at his feet to reassure him, as if she'd read his mind. "You won't lose to anyone here. Your deck is already perfect."

"There's no such thing as a perfect deck," Johan said under his breath. The other duelists in the room already knew he spoke to his cards, but there was no need to risk alarming them. "But this is probably about as good as it's going to get for now. The rest is all in the battle."

The results of all the second round matches were in before long – Liechtenstein, Denmark and Latvia had lost against Luxembourg, Switzerland and Monaco respectively – and they were given the 20 minute signal.

"Good luck, everyone. Let's do our best," Johan said, loudly enough for everyone to hear. Then in a lower voice, solely to the gem beasts, "I'm counting on you."

* * *

Very little time had passed since Johan's last match in the finals of the Norwegian tournament, and so stepping into the stadium in front of the thousands upon thousands of spectators wasn't at all nerve-wracking. Of course once a duel started, it hardly mattered to Johan whether the people watching him were in the millions, hundreds, or if there was no one watching at all. A duel was about your bond with your cards and your opponent; when he played, everything in the background faded away.

Johan and Nicolet shook hands, promising to play fair, then exchanged, cut and shuffled one another's decks.

The familiar rush of excitement welled up inside as Johan set his deck into his duel disk and readied himself for the battle ahead. He barely heard the commentator giving the crowd a quick rundown of his and his opponent's dueling histories, waiting impatiently to draw.

He was granted the first move, and he and Nicolet both drew their first five cards.

He scanned his hand. Not a bad first draw – he already had Emerald Turtle and Rainbow Ruin ready to play, and Gem Release for if his opponent played a monster with higher attack power that he couldn't take head on. But with Amber Mammoth in his hand, that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

"I draw," Johan announced, taking the card from the top of his deck. Triggered Summon. A strategy was already forming in his mind. "I place one monster in facedown defense position. Then I set one card and end my turn."

He'd wait to play Rainbow Ruin. With no Gem Beasts in his magic and trap zone, there was no need for it yet.

He watched Nicolet closely – you could learn a lot about your opponent's overall strategy from the tactics they used on their first move.

"My turn. Draw." Nicolet pulled a card from his deck. "I play Volcanic Edge in attack position."

Volcanic Edge – it was a card that Johan was somewhat familiar with from his exchange at Duel Academy. He hadn't seen O'Brien duel often, but in the end they had all been comrades who'd fought together. He recalled that Volcanic Edge had the ability to inflict 500 points of damage at the cost of being unable to attack, and Johan was curious to see what tactic his opponent would use.

"Now, I attack your facedown monster," Nicolet said, and Johan smiled. So this guy had charged right on in instead of slowly whittling away at your life points through effects. That was a trait he admired.

He admired it, but…

"I flip summon Emerald Turtle. Its defense is higher than your attack, meaning my monster is left unharmed."

Nicolet winced as 200 of his life points trickled away, but he recovered quickly. "I end my battle phase and play Smashing Earth, destroying your monster with the highest defense."

Johan remained calm. "I activate Emerald Turtle's monster effect and place it in my magic and trap zone."

"Now I'll play Blaze Cannon, and set one card. My turn is over."

Blaze Cannon, huh. It was another card O'Brien had used – by sending one Pyro monster from his hand to the graveyard, Nicolet could destroy any monster on Johan's field and inflict 500 points of damage. Now Johan was sure that Nicolet was opposed to using underhand tactics and sacrificing his monsters to deal damage. He could have easily used it to destroy Emerald Turtle and damage Johan, but he hadn't.

"My turn." Johan drew a card. Amethyst Cat. Good, that meant he could bypass his opponent's monster with a direct attack. He could raise her attack with Gem Release, but part of him felt it was better to save that card for when he was in a pinch.

Amethyst seemed to share his feelings, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "Let me have my turn Johan, I'm itching to battle."

"You know he'll be sure to attack you with his monster on the next turn," Johan cautioned her, but Amethyst just shook her head.

"I don't care. You need us in the magic and trap zone too. Let me have a shot at this guy first."

"Got it." There was no point in arguing. "I summon Amethyst Cat in attack mode. By halving her original attack points, I can attack you directly! Amethyst, battle!"

The pale-furred feline bared her teeth and leapt towards Nicolet, soaring over his monster, but the Belgian duelist remained calm.

"I active my facedown card, Reactive Armor, which destroys your attacking monster."

Amethyst let out a frustrated yowl before disappearing from the field to the magic zone, alongside Emerald Turtle. Johan gritted his teeth.

"I play my field card, Ancient City – Rainbow Ruin and end my turn."

Now Nicolet was up, and all Johan had out were Rainbow Ruin and one face down card. He had no monsters to protect him, which meant he was almost certain to take some heavy damage this turn.

"I summon Volcanic Revolver to the field. Now, battle! Volcanic Edge, attack him directly!"

"I activate Rainbow Ruin's effect!" Johan countered. "Once per turn, if I have two Gem Beasts in my magic and trap zone, I can halve any damage to my life points."

"I still have one more attack left. Volcanic Revolver, battle!"

"Ugh!" Johan cringed, and his life points dropped from their original 4,000 to 1,900. "Damn, over half my LP in one go. Not bad."

"You're not allowed to lose until I call out my ace," Nicolet warned him, looking at Johan with very serious eyes. "I expect the tournament favorite to do better than this. My turn is over"

Johan's lips curled into a grin and he felt his fighting spirit bubbling up inside him. "I appreciate the concern, but there's no need to worry. I'll make sure to live up to your expectations. Draw!"

Sapphire Pegasus. It was tied in attack points with Volcanic Edge, meaning that Nicolet would be unlikely to attack it and face the price of destroying his own monster too.

"I summon Sapphire Pegasus in attack mode!"

The white winged horse materialized on the field, looking back at him. "Leave this to me, Johan. Let's turn this around."

"Right." Johan nodded. "Go, Sapphire Pegasus! Attack Volcanic Revolver."

Sapphire charged towards Nicolet's monster, and the hologram shattered into pieces and sent his life points down to 3,200. Johan shot his opponent a grin.

"How was that?" He asked, but Nicolet just smirked in response.

"That was exactly what I was hoping you'd do. Now I can activate Volcanic Revolver's effect and place one other Volcanic monster on top of my deck."

Johan's brow furrowed as Nicolet dug through his deck for a card, then shuffled. "I place one down face down and end my turn."

"My turn." Nicolet drew the card he'd placed on top of his deck. "I equip Volcanic Edge with Lucky Iron Axe, raising its attack by 500, and attack your Sapphire Pegasus."

"Rainbow Ruin!" Johan activated his field card effect, halving the damage, and his life points dropped to 1650 as Sapphire Pegasus transferred to the magic zone.

"That's all. I end my turn," Nicolet told him, not placing any facedown cards on the field.

Johan frowned. Something about this didn't make sense to him. He knew for a fact that Nicolet had to have a Volcanic monster in his hand thanks to Volcanic Revolver's effect. Why hadn't he summoned it? He could have at least used Blaze Cannon's effect, but so far he'd just left that card on the field and done nothing with it. He had to be waiting for something. But what…?

"_You're not allowed to lose until I call out my ace…"_

Johan's eyes widened. So far the monsters in Nicolet's deck were the same Volcanic monsters O'Brien had used.

Could that mean his trump card was the same too? If so…

"My turn! Draw!"

Ruby Carbuncle. He had no way to use her effect yet. It looked like Amber Mammoth was his best bet for now.

"I summon Amber Mammoth in attack mode."

"Nice try," Nicolet taunted, "but it's still not strong enough to beat my Volcanic Edge."

Johan chuckled. "Give me a chance to finish first! I equip Amber Mammoth with Gem Release, raising its attack points by 800! Now it's stronger than your monster, even with its equip card! Go, attack his monster!"

Amber Mammoth charged, its heavy footsteps shaking the earth, and obliterating Volcanic Edge from the field. Nicolet's life points dropped by 200, down to 3,000.

"Now we're back on even ground!" Johan nodded towards Amber Mammoth in thanks. "I set one card facedown and end my turn. The real match starts now!"

"Draw!" Nicolet's brow was furrowed in concentration, but upon looking at the card he'd drawn, his expression morphed into a smug smirk. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but this is where the match ends. I send my Blaze Cannon to the graveyard to activate Blaze Cannon – Trident."

Johan's mouth quirked.

"So you really are trying to summon…"

"That's right. I send my Blaze Cannon – Trident to the graveyard to special summon Volcanic Devil to the field!"

The fiery demon appeared on the field in a whirlwind of flame. Johan swallowed, feeling a little dwarfed by the creature, but any fear was overrun by a rush of excitement.

"When Volcanic Devil destroys a monster and sends it to the graveyard, it destroys all other monsters on the field and inflicts 500 points of damage for each one. Moreover, during your battle phase, you must battle Volcanic Devil with any attack position monsters you control." Nicolet's voice had taken on a gloating tinge. "How's that, Norwegian rep?"

Of all the reactions the Belgian competitor had been expecting, it probably hadn't been for Johan to giggle. The giggle quickly escalated into a full-blown, bent over clutching his stomach-laugh before he stood up straight and beamed at Nicolet.

"Ah, it's exciting for me to face such a strong monster! You know, you were right. This match is as good as over." His grin was confident – it was clear he wasn't bluffing. "I activate my trap, Triggered Summon. I can use this card when my opponent special summons a card to the field. Both of us can special summon a level 4 or lower monster from our hand. I summon Ruby Carbuncle!"

The mythical creature popped up on the field with a trill, looking even tinier than usual in front of Nicolet's hulking creature.

"I summon another Volcanic Edge to the field." Nicolet said, sounding bored. "What a foolish move. The only creature you have that can stand up to my monster is your fabled Rainbow Dragon. All you've done is add another small fry to your field that will deal you an extra 500 points of damage when it's destroyed by Volcanic Devil's effect."

Johan's grin slowly curved into a smirk. "I won't forgive you for insulting Ruby like that. Just watch. I activate her effect! Whenever Ruby is special summoned to the monster card zone, I can call as many Gem Beasts from my magic and trap zone as possible. Amethyst Cat, Emerald Turtle, Sapphire Pegasus! Come back to the field!"

The Gem Beasts materialized back in the monster card zone next to Ruby and Amber Mammoth.

Nicolet's expression didn't change. "Not one of your monsters is strong enough to defeat me. All you've done is assured your defeat in this turn. You're slipping, Johan Andersen. Don't tell me that you making it all the way to the NWEC was just dumb luck."

"Why don't you attack me and find out," Johan said, his tone innocent.

"Then I will. Volcanic Devil, attack his Ruby Carbuncle!"

"I activate Amber Mammoth's effect! Whenever another face up Gem Beast is selected as an attack target, he can redirect the attack to himself!"

"Useless." Nicolet sounded bored now. "Your defeat is still assured. Once your Gem Beasts are destroyed by my monster's effect, you'll take 2,500 points of damage and it's all over."

"Is it?" Johan shot back. "I activate Gem Battle Formation – Amber! With this, Amber Mammoth gains attack equal to that of all my face up Gem Beasts, on top of the equip card, Gem Release, for a total attack of 6,400 attack points. That's 3,400 points higher than your Volcanic Devil. Now Amethyst Mammoth, battle!"

Amber Mammoth charged headlong to meet Volcanic Devil, the two monsters clashing before Volcanic Devil disappeared with a roar in an explosion of fire.

Nicolet's life points dropped like a stone, from 3,000 straight to 0. There was a brief silence before the crowd erupted into thunderous applause and whistles. Johan smiled broadly, waving at the cameras before walking the distance of the field to shake hands with his opponent.

"It was a great duel. You almost had me there."

Nicolet took his outstretched hand and squeezed it firmly. "As expected of Johan Andersen. A come-from-behind victory. Give me a rematch sometime and I'll show you what I'm really made of."

"It'd be an honor to face you and your monsters again," Johan agreed.

The two of them stepped down from the dueling field amidst the ongoing cheering, and Johan mentally prepared himself for what was to come. This duel, he was sure, had only been a prelude to what was awaiting him. And he wasn't referring to the rest of the tournament matches.

* * *

Johan managed to catch the tail end of the Iceland versus Ireland match, resulting in a narrow scrape through for Ireland, and not before long, it was time for the first day closing ceremony. The winners of the first day were officially announced – the UK, Austria and Finland from the first round, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Monaco from the second, and Norway, the Netherlands and Ireland from the last.

"Thank you for coming today and providing the duelists with your support!" The commentator addressed the crowd. "The quarterfinals will take place tomorrow. We'll be playing with a different format for the next two days with the semi and quarter final duels in the form of a battle royal. It'll be triangle duels from now until the finals. See you all back here tomorrow for the quarter final matches!"

Johan watched from the stage as all the spectators made a mad rush for the exits. Not even the participants had realized this would be held battle royal style, though he certainly wasn't complaining. It just made it more interesting, more of a challenge. And he was the last person to shy from a challenge.

The competitors were all chauffeured back to the hotel to avoid any incidents, with fans or otherwise, which Johan was grateful for – he had no issues with meeting fans, but he was exhausted and didn't fancy finding his own way back on foot or by public transport. Knowing him, he'd probably head in the entirely wrong direction and take twice as long to arrive.

When dinner time came, he ate alone in the hotel restaurant, his mind undoing and sorting through the events of the day, wondering what he should do to assure his own safety if – when – whoever had come for the other duelists also came for him.

"Guess I won't be taking any evening strolls on my lonesome tonight, huh," he murmured to himself around a mouthful of potatoes. Not that he planned to anyway; he was far too tired for that. Once he got back to his room, the first port of call was a hot bath and then his bed.

An hour and a half later, he was snuggling between crisp, freshly-changed sheets, his deck on the bed next to him, cards spread out atop the covers.

"A battle royal needs different tactics to a regular one-on-one duel," Johan mused, thumbing through different trap and magic cards. "I feel like I need to switch some things out."

"You'll have time tomorrow," Amethyst Cat reminded him. She was stretched out along the end of the bed, the same as a real cat might do. "You need to sleep now. It'll be easier to make decisions when you've rested."

Johan shot her a warm, drowsy smile. She always had been like a mother figure to him over the years.

"You're right." He swept up his cards and slid them back into their holster. "I need to be able to think this through with a clear head. Goodnight everyone."

* * *

Johan didn't remember drifting off, but the next thing he knew, the neon red numbers of the digital hotel clock read 4:00am. He blinked and groggily pushed his hair from his face, fighting to clear his head.

It took a second for him to register that he could hear someone crying, and another moment longer to realize that it was the reason he'd woken up. The sound was faint, but it was unmistakable, and Johan knew for a fact that it wasn't human.

Sapphire Pegasus was by his side in an instant. "That sounds like a duel spirit."

"Yeah," Johan agreed, already groping for his deck. "Sounds like it's in trouble. We'd better go and check it out."

"It could be a trap," Sapphire warned him. "It seems like too much of a coincidence for this to occur right after the first day of the tournament."

"Yeah. I'll be careful." Johan acknowledged the warning. "But if a spirit is in trouble, I can't sit around and do nothing. Let's go."

"I'll take out anyone who dares to try and attack us," Topaz Tiger materialized beside them, claws at the ready and body poised to lunge.

"Be on your guard," Sapphire chided him. "We _all_ need to proceed with the utmost caution."

Johan slid out of bed into the cold room and threw on a jacket over his pajamas, sticking his room key into a pocket. He strapped his duel disk to his arm, cards going straight into the deck zone, and cocked his head, listening for the voice. Yes, he could still hear it.

With the Gem Beasts right behind him, Johan pushed the door open and peeked out, looking both ways to assure nothing was waiting to ambush them before he stepped into the hall.

"It's coming from above us," Sapphire Pegasus said. "Probably from the roof."

Johan bit his lip. From what he remembered, this hotel didn't have roof access available to guests. He hoped he wouldn't get caught; climbing up there without a feasible explanation (one that normal people would accept, at least) was bound to get him in trouble, and the tournament organizers surely wouldn't take kindly to it. He'd have to be discreet.

He found the fire escape stairs and took them up as far as the top floor. The crying was definitely louder from up here, but now Johan was stumped as how to get outside and onto the roof itself. There had to be an entrance somewhere…

It didn't take long for him to come across it, but as he'd expected, it was marked staff-only, and after a few fruitless turns of the handle, he deduced it was locked.

He inspected it closely. It wasn't a deadbolt lock. Maybe…

Johan pulled out a card from his side deck and slid it between the door and the frame, then titled it towards the doorknob and pushed. Once it slid in further, Johan bent it back the other way and turned the handle, pushing the door. Nothing happened. He wiggled the card back and forth, keeping the handle turned and his weight against the door. Then all of a sudden it gave way.

Johan allowed himself a brief smile of triumph and slipped his card back into the side deck. Of course, it would never have worked on a lock in a higher security area, but since most criminals didn't make a business of climbing onto hotel roofs for kicks, there was no need for tight security. Still. It was amazing what one could accomplish with a simple trading card.

The bite of the night air against his skin was sharp, and he pulled his jacket tighter against himself with the hand that wasn't resting against his deck. The spirit's voice, though now reduced to faint whimpers, was loud and clear up here; Johan couldn't see anything, but there was no mistake that they were in the right place.

"Be on the lookout," Sapphire Pegasus reminded them, and Johan nodded, listening intently for the direction the voice was coming from.

"Over there!" He leapt from the doorway, and the second he did, the entire rooftop was plunged into deep shadow.


End file.
